Cat's Weird Dreams
by Animorphgirl
Summary: updated Catalina's reoccurring dream shows her that things on the Christa might not be as good as they appear, thanks to her invisible friend. She and Suzee's sister seek revenge for what Suzee has done to her friends. (Anti-Suzee story!)


Cat's Weird Dream  
  
It was a relatively sunny morning on Yensid. Catalina was sleeping in due to the fact that it was a weekend. Unfortunately, she was also having one of her reoccurring nightmares.  
  
"La la la! Everything's wonderful," sang Rosie as she woke up. Bova groaned and rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed.  
  
"Why are you always so happy in the morning? Isn't that illegal?" he muttered, shaking his head. He debated to himself whether or not he should go back to sleep and finally came to the conclusion that if he tried to sleep he would wake up in the middle of an ionic storm and be the cause for everyone on the Christa's death.  
  
Rosie giggled to herself. "Good morning, Bova! Isn't it a wonderful day?"  
  
Bova stared at Rosie unbelievingly. "Rosie, you do realize we're in space."  
  
"I know, Bova! All of the stars and the nebulas; it makes me so happy!"  
  
Bova shook his head. He just didn't get it. Space was dark and dreary. You couldn't have a nice day in space. He rolled his eyes. Rosie saw his pessimism coming out and shrugged. She was going to have a wonderful day and soon enough Bova would see that optimism really was the best way to look at life.  
  
"Where's Suzee?" wondered Rosie once they were eating breakfast. "We were supposed to get together during breakfast for the project. Oh well. I'm sure that she'll be here soon."  
  
"Not with our luck. She probably got stuck in the jumptubes. Or maybe Sofiana kidnapped her. I never did trust that girl. Or…Warlord Shank kidnapped her. Or she fell and died."  
  
"Oh Bova! She'll be here soon!" laughed Rosie, patting him on the back.  
  
Sure enough soon Suzee entered the galley.  
  
"Hi Suzee!" squealed Rosie. "Are you ready to work on our project?"  
  
"Not now, Rosie," Suzee replied impetuously. "First, I have an announcement to make."  
  
"Yes?" asked Rosie eagerly. She loved announcements.  
  
Suzee looked around, nose in the air. "I want everyone to be here when I say it," she said.  
  
"Ok, we can wait. Right Bova?"  
  
Bova grunted in reply, helping himself to more dip for his sandwich.  
  
Suzee sighed with impatience. "Well, all right. I can't wait much longer anyway."  
  
"Oh goodie!"  
  
"Harlan and I are a couple."  
  
Catalina woke up screaming.  
  
"No!!! No, Suzee, you traitor! Harlan is mine and you can't steal him! No!!!"  
  
Suzee's sister Arabella walked in, hearing the Saturnian's screams.  
  
"That dream again?" she asked sympathetically as Catalina sat up in bed.  
  
"Yes," the Saturnian replied annoyed. "Grozit, I wish I knew what it means."  
  
Araballa laughed. "Well, it's pretty clear. They did kiss, you know."  
  
Cat shook her head. "Harlan kissed Suzee. He was relieved to be alive. And Suzee didn't exactly enjoy it."  
  
"She didn't exactly pull away either. She laughed. You told me."  
  
"A nervous laugh," Catalina protested. "And no wonder. He's lucky that he's alive."  
  
"So you don't blame either?"  
  
"Why should I? Harlan was just happy to be alive and Suzee was glad to be out of Pezu's clutches. She didn't exactly ask him out later."  
  
Arabella shook her head. "If it were me I would stop talking to Suzee and as soon as I got back on the Christa I would push Harlan out of the nearest airlock."  
  
Cat grinned. "Not my style. If, and I repeat if I were angry at either, I would just stop talking to Harlan. With Suzee I would do something different."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Oh come off it, Arabella. I'm not angry at either."  
  
"Oh sure. You say that now. But when Suzee calmly announces that she's Mrs. Band, you'll be saying something completely different."  
  
Catalina was uneasy. Arabella did know Suzee pretty well. It was possible that what she said was right. Maybe she was just refusing to see the obvious. Or maybe Arabella was just not giving Suzee credit. After all, it was just a "I'm so glad you're alive" kiss, right?  
  
"Arabella wait!" Cat quickly got dressed and followed Arabella to the kitchen. "Do you think I should be worried?"  
  
Arabella smiled. "Well, were you and Harlan dating?"  
  
"Grozit, no! We liked each other sure. But dating? Yeah right."  
  
"Did you ever kiss?"  
  
"I kissed him on the cheek."  
  
Arabella made a tsk tsk sound. "Not a real kiss unless it's on the lips, like Harlan and Suzee."  
  
Catalina gulped.  
  
"Ok, and the last question. Did Suzee ever think that Harlan was cute?"  
  
"Sure! She constantly said that the ideal guy had Radu's personality and Harlan's looks."  
  
Arabella looked shocked. "Cat, all the evidence is pointing twoward the guilty sign. They're a dimension away, and everyone knows that the connection is so much better from the other dimension. Not so many people trying to contact their friends in one area. And Suzee has constantly said how cute Harlan was. And they kissed. And while you say it was just a 'I'm glad we're alive' kiss, I think that Harlan and Suzee thought just a tad differently. And since you never even went out, it's enough for Suzee to feel guilt free. It's the Yensidian law."  
  
"Yensidian law?" echoed Cat in amazement.  
  
"Yup. Until a couple has gone out, it's not really stealing a boyfriend. All Yensidians think so. You can't just say, 'well I liked him and you stole him' on Yensid. Otherwise there would be too many court cases."  
  
"You have court cases over that?"  
  
"Of course! Why do you think invisable friends are so popular? It's the guy net in other dimensions! And they, the friends and the guys, know nothing about you! The rejects of Yensid enlist in the Help an Invisable Friend' program and they get extra credit for helping a person fit in. Plus, no one knows about what rejects they are. Some people call it the 'Find a Life' program. You have to be pretty desperate to try it. Not everyone is horrible, but it's the geeks and rejects who mainly to it. And Suzee's a reject."  
  
"I always got the idea she was so popular," mused Catalina.  
  
"Yeah, she seems that way. Until you meet people who know her. But I guess once you get to know a boy stealing reject like her, it's hard to put two and two together." Arabella smiled sadly. "This is her second invisable friend so far. The same thing happened with the first. They always find a way to get into that dimension. It's always an explosion. You'd think that the other people, Dimensioners we call them, would have figured it out. But they still believe that the concept of other dimensions is a theory, not a proven law. So the idea of a program for rejects who want to steal boyfriends? Not likely."  
  
"I guess not," replied Cat sadly. "So what do I do?"  
  
"Well before you do anything, you need to know who you're dealing with. And don't laugh, because you don't know the real Suzee. Only her family does, and a few of her closest friends. I'll tell you what you need to know about this person. And you might have a chance of getting back to your homeworld, and getting Harlan back."  
  
"You'll tell me everything I need to know about Suzee, right?"  
  
"Yeah, but once I'm done you probably will wish that I hadn't."  
  
Part 2  
  
Arabella sighed. "I know I should tell you this. But it will be hard for you to hear it."  
  
Catalina nodded. Arabella was really a good friend, she realized. She doesn't want anything to happen to Suzee and my friendship, even though it turns out that Suzee is a boyfriend stealing reject who was never really her friend. She barely even spoke with Cat after they got the connections back and never in front of the crew. Of course, Catalina assumed that that was because Suzee didn't want to constantly tell everyone what Catalina said to everyone and be a living telephone. Now she knew better.  
  
Arabella began her story.  
  
"Suzee was the second born in our family. I was a Earth year older than her. She was a very adorable baby. She had streaks in her hair, of course, and huge eyes. But her first words were 'me want boys'."  
  
Catalina gaped at her friend. "Are you serious?"  
  
"I swear. My parents told me the story a bunch of times. At the time, they thought that it was so cute. Yeah right.  
  
"Anyway, Suzee grew at the normal Yensidian rate. Soon she was ready to start school. But boy, was she horrible at it! She got held back three times! She didn't even know how to add speed to a starship without burning the thrusters! She was a disaster student!  
  
"But socially she was even worse. Her record of keeping a friend was exactly three minutes. And no, I'm not exaggerating. So after a few years, my parents were sick of her failing and suggested her doing the Help an Invisible Friend program. So Suzee agreed.  
  
Suzee would brag to everyone who would listen about how she was so happy to have a 'friend' who was the only girl old enough to really have a boyfriend and that she was glad that you were too 'gutless' to just ask Harlan out. So she created the explosion."  
  
"How?" Catalina interrupted.  
  
"Yensidian thing. It involved her mind powers. She knew about the killcruiser from looking on the Objects in Dimensioner Space board and went into the Christa's mind so that she would go to that area. The rest is history."  
  
Catalina was devastated. "She did all of this?"  
  
"Yup. I told you that you wouldn't like it."  
  
"Well...at least now I know. But what can I do about it?"  
  
Arabella rolled her eyes. "An explosion brought you here. An explosion can bring you back."  
  
"But I thought that that wasn't allowed."  
  
"It is now. Don't you even watch Laws to Order on Yensid? It's on every week."  
  
"Laws to order?"  
  
"Yes, Order is another word for bills."  
  
"Oh. No, I don't really watch it."  
  
Arabella nodded. "Well the new law has been passed after the huge number of court cases in the past month. And not many people are thrilled that them being too scared to ask a guy out means that their best friend will steal him from them. They're still trying to make that a order but for now you're allowed to go back home, if you want to."  
  
Catalina grinned. "Definitely, but first I want to get revenge and teach Reject Suzee a lesson about using me!"  
  
Arabella grinned. "I'm always up for revenge! What do you have in mind?"  
  
Catalina suddenly had a great idea. "Arabella, ever hear of the old Earth tale, Pinocchio?"  
  
"Yes, from Suzee. About a kid who wants to be a real boy, but every time he tells a lie his nose grows."  
  
"Well, can we send people stuff through Yensid?"  
  
"As long as we know the exact mass, density, and lots of other stuff that is written down somewhere."  
  
"Great! Since Little Reject Suzee wants Harlan, she'll have to bear the Pinocchio consequences."  
  
"You're going to give her a big nose?"  
  
"No, not quite." She laughed from the joy of her plan. "Just some zits that multiply whenever she tries to flirt with Harlan. And the only way they go away will be when she learns her lesson."  
  
Arabella stared in awe at Catalina's amazing plan. "Cat, you're a genius! And since the chances of her learning anything are rare, she'll have them for awhile!"  
  
"Suzee, get ready for nice nice zits to spread across your face!" laughed Catalina.  
  
Now it's my turn for some sweet revenge, little, using reject! she thought gleefully.  
  
Part 3  
  
Meanwhile, on the Christa...  
  
"Why do we have to go to classes?" complained Harlan. "It's not like we ever learn anything in Davenport's classes. What I learned came from disasters on planets."  
  
"You mean you actually learned something since you got on the Chrisa, Harlan?" flirted Suzee. "Wow, you really are improving."  
  
Harlan grinned.  
  
"It's stupid. She just has lessons to torment us," said Bova. "You can tell that she enjoys the look of doom on our faces."  
  
"Now that's true, Bova," said Harlan as he walked toward the jumptubes.  
  
"Her classes aren't that bad," said Rosie. "They're supposed to make us learn. We can't learn everything through our experiences."  
  
"Disasters, you mean," correct Bova as he punched in the destination and climbed in.  
  
"They weren't so bad. And remember when we got to call our parents?"  
  
Too soon they were at the classroom. Davenport stood waiting.  
  
"Two demerits for everyone for being late. Now we will continue our discussion of the differences between the Myceneans and the Saturnians," said Davenport as the students took their seats. Inwardly and outwardly, almost everyone groaned.  
  
This is so pointless, thought Suzee. I could be doing something useful. I could be making changes to the engines. Of course, my designs do more harm than good, but no one need know that. And look at how disgusting Davenport looks! What horrible hair! That woman needs a makeover, fast.  
  
"Suzee? Are you listening?" snapped the teacher, pulling the Yensidian out of her daydream.  
  
"Of course. But I couldn't quite hear the question with...Harlan tapping and trying to distract me."  
  
Davenport sighed and repeated her question. Suzee gave a good answer, purposely going into such a complex and (or course) gibberish explanation that by the time Suzee had spoken for three minutes, Davenport cut her off, saying what a well thought out explanation that was.  
  
Works every time, thought Suzee smugly.  
  
Davenport droned on for another hour or so and then reminded them that their projects were due in six weeks. She expected good work and was planning to curve them so hopefully that would inspire them to work hard.  
  
"Class dismissed," she finally said. The cadets got up gratefully and headed to the Command Post for training, a much more enjoyable class.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----  
  
On Yensid....  
  
"Ready?" asked Arabella.  
  
"Ready! Let's do it," said Catalina, grinning.  
  
Arabella cranked on the machine and read the commands. Ten minutes later, she stopped.  
  
"Ok, Suzee will get zits whenever she flirts with Harlan. It will start out with one, then four, then seven, and keep adding three to it."  
  
"Excellent!"  
  
"After two weeks we'll both speak to her. We'll send you back to your dimension and Suzee will not be able to bother you. I'll see to that."  
  
"Will you keep in touch with me through the Space Net?" asked Cat.  
  
"Naturally! You coming here was one of the most interesting things that ever happened here. I never realized how boring it was until you showed up."  
  
Catalina smiled. "So, you're sure it will work?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"I'm getting a connection now, hold on!"  
  
Catalina strained to keep the image as their brain waves connected. Suzee began talking to her friend, complaining about Davenport. Cat noticed that her friend had a zit on her. She mouthed to Arabella, "it worked!"  
  
"Why Suzee, how horrible! But what's that on your face?"  
  
"This? Oh, nothing. Yensidians break out around this age. Something we share with your dimension, sadly."  
  
"Gee, how horrible!"  
  
"It will go away. Our pimples do."  
  
"I'm losing the connection! I'll talk to you later, Suzee!"  
  
"Ok, bye!"  
  
Arabella stood waiting. "It worked?"  
  
"Yes. It worked. Suzee the user, the moron, the reject, is now in for a face full of zits. I just saw her first one!"  
  
"Where was it?"  
  
"On her nose! At the very end!"  
  
The two girls laughed and laughed at the image. Suzee deserved every pimple that she would be getting!  
  
Part 4  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----  
  
On the Christa, next day...  
  
Suzee woke up early that day. She glanced at the Mercurian, still asleep in bed. Today she would make her move on Harlan. Suzee grinned to herself as she imagined the scene. She walked to the shower and took one, then brushed her teeth. Suzee checked to make sure that Catalina wasn't there. She wasn't. Good.  
  
Suzee sang under her breath a Yensidian enticing song so that Harlan was sure to notice her. Not that it was needed, of course. Harlan noticed her as soon as he boarded the Christa. He barely even remembered Catalina.  
  
Such a trusting young girl, thought Suzee as she brushed her hair. Her loss, my gain.  
  
As Suzee entered the bunkroom again with a towel around her, she saw Rosie wake up. The Mercurian stretched and smiled, saying what a wonderful day it was.  
  
Mercurians, Suzee thought disdainfully. Always being so cheerful. Ugh! Like a cavity.  
  
"Morning, Suzee!" chirped Rosie as she got up.  
  
"Good morning, Rosie," said Suzee with all the tolerance she could muster. Bova was right: There should be a law against being happy in the morning. If Suzee knew anyone like that on Yensid, she would have thought that they were on drugs. Suzee watched as Rosie almost skipped to the shower, humming a disgustingly cheery song. Suzee managed not to throw up, but just barely.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----  
  
Suzee walked to the galley without waiting for Rosie. She saw Harlan and gave him one of her "hard to get" smiles. Harlan said, "Hey, Suzee."  
  
"Hi, Harlan. What's up?" she flirted, batting her eyes in a totally ditzy way. It was something that she learned about from watching girls on Yensid.  
  
"Oh, not much. Davenport's an idiot, huh? Thirty pages of reading?!"  
  
"Tell me about it," said Suzee. "Though, naturally, I had no trouble with it. Did you?"  
  
"Uh, no, not, um, not really," he stuttered. She caught him off guard and grinned.  
  
"Suzee! I saved a place for you!" squealed Rosie.  
  
"Thanks, Rosie," said Suzee, barely looking at her.  
  
"Suzee, what's that on your face?" asked Rosie as she got a good look at Suzee.  
  
"What?"  
  
Rosie showed her in a spoon. Staring at Suzee was a large zit, on the tip of her nose.  
  
"Agh!!! My face! My beautiful, flawless face!!!!"  
  
"Lemme see!" said Harlan, eagerly. "Man, that's huge! It just appeared!"  
  
"Thanks a lot, Harlan," muttered Suzee as she put the spoon down. "Besides, as I told Cat, pimples come and go on Yensid. It'll be gone in a day."  
  
"Did you say Catalina?" asked Harlan.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I thought that you couldn't speak to her."  
  
"That was on the planet. I can now, but it's hard at times. The connections fade occasionally."  
  
Harlan was ignoring what Suzee said. "Wow! Talk to her now! Tell her how much I miss her."  
  
Suzee flung around in her seat and glared at Harlan. "I thought that you liked me!"  
  
Harlan glared at the jealous and pimply Yensidian. "You're kidding, right? I only tolerate you because I thought that by flirting with you I could talk to Catalina more. I miss her. I love Catalina. "  
  
Suzee fainted.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----  
  
Catalina heard the entire conversation. Arabella even recorded it so that Cat could watch it whenever she wanted.  
  
"He really liked me, Arabella! All the stuff with Suzee was just to get close to me!"  
  
Arabella grinned. "And the look on Suzee's face? I'd pay big bucks for it! I can make copies of the story and charge people to see it. Suzee get rejected? Everyone will wait in a mile long line to see it!"  
  
Catalina grinned. "After Suzee gets about twenty more zits on her face, I'll be ready to go home!"  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----  
  
"This can not be happening! Harlan liked me! I liked him! Well, I thought that he was cute. But he used me, Rosie, he used me!"  
  
"But you used him. You just played hard to get. You never even went out with him."  
  
"Who's side are you on?!?"  
  
"Catalina's. And she's not going to want to talk to you after she finds out what happened."  
  
"Oh Rosie! Cat won't know. I won't tell her."  
  
"But I already know." Cat's hologram appeared. "I saw the whole thing."  
  
"Oh, h-hi, Cat! How's Yensid?"  
  
"Yensid's great. But I'm so glad that even after you tried to steal Harlan, he tricked you. That's why I can trust him."  
  
"Cat! It's not, it's not how it seems!"  
  
"Don't lie to me, you reject."  
  
"What did you just call me?!"  
  
"I know the whole story. Arabella told me. So, maybe you're a genius here. But on Yensid you're a worse Space Case than all of us combined. Goodbye Suzee."  
  
The connection went dead. Suzee knew that Cat wouldn't forgive her.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----  
  
Two weeks later Suzee's face was completely bloated. She was back on Yensid, in jail. It turned out that she had commited several crimes while on the Christa.  
  
Catalina and Arabella became dimensional friends. Arabella sold the story for big bucks and her family became rich. Catalina till had a copy of it which she played whenever she doubted Harlan. They were a couple.  
  
No one missed Suzee. They were glad that she was gone. Even Rosie. Or maybe especially Rosie. Everyone was thrilled to have Cat back.  
  
"So, Cat, what was the trigger effect for the reoccuring dreams?" asked Harlan one day while on Command Post training.  
  
"I'm not sure exactly."  
  
"Don't you have some idea?"  
  
"I guess. But it's funny."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Eating Yensid peanut butter sandwiches. I always had the dream when I ate then."  
  
Harlan grinned and shook his head. "At least she's gone."  
  
"And in jail," Cat agreed. She now knew who her real friends were.  
  
~~The End~~ 


End file.
